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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

So I went to my orthopedic/podiatrist appointment today. I know you'll all be shocked to learn that I have :::drumroll::: Plantar Fasciitis! Shocking, I know. They took a couple xrays of my foot (you know, to boost my bill a bit) and then I sat in the room for like an hour and a half. It's ok though because I was by myself and I had my crocheting to keep me company and I was by myself and it was quiet and I was by myself.

So this doctor finally comes in and I immediately think hey, he's kinda cute. Good thing he's not my gyno! After asking me a couple questions, he said something along the lines of, "You have plantar fasciitis. It's very common. I see a dozen cases of this a day. We need to treat this. It doesn't really matter if there's a bone spur or not.""OK then. I'm glad you took the xrays.""On a scale of 1 - 10, how much does it hurt?"

Ok, I don't do scales. I hate when they ask you "on a scale of 1 - 10..." I countered with, "I don't know! I've given birth to 6 kids without epidurals. This really isn't all that painful. Then again, it hurts enough that I'm here. I don't know. I have a fairly high tolerance to pain."

He poked my heel and had me push my foot against his hand in all directions. At this point, I just really wanted to leave. Not because he was hurting my foot. Not because I'd already been there for over an hour. Not because I needed to get home and start making dinner. Nope, I wanted to leave because I was so embarrassed. I could tell that my foot was all cold and sweaty and this poor guy was TOUCHING it! Ewww. I swear I have a problem. Whenever I'm nervous, my hands sweat. Wait, that's an understatement. That's like saying that Niagra Falls is a little moist. Well, apparently my feet get all cold and clammy too. I guess it could be worse though. When I went for my physical a couple months ago, my legs stuck to the paper on the examining table. I don't mean that the paper clung to my legs a little bit as I stood up. Oh noooo. I mean that when I got up, I spent the next 5 minutes peeling off little bits of soggy paper that had stuck to the backs of my legs. Now this wouldn't have been so bad had I been alone. I could've peeled the paper off, thrown it out and unrolled the sheet of paper to nicely recover the table. But nope, it was not to be. The doctor stood there waiting to walk me down the hall to the lab while I picked off the shredded paper that was glued to my legs, a look of disgust and horror on his face. (In all fairness, it was a million degrees outside, I was running late, my tooth fell out, and I drove into oncoming traffic. I did have an excuse for my hot flash that day. Still... I told you my thermostat was broken. A person should not have hot flashes of that magnitude!)Anyway, after pushing and poking my foot some, he said, "We'll give you a shot of cortisone in your heel. It'll help with the pain."

"LOL!!! No really, what's the plan?"

"Really, a shot of cortisone in your heel will help."

"Ummm, a shot in my heel? For real? No thank you."

"It will help with the inflammation."

"Yeah, I'll pass, thank you."

He eyed me and said, "You just finished telling me you had a high tolerance for pain, but you're scared of a shot?! Big baby!"

"I'm not scared of shots. Honestly. Shots don't bother me. Shots in my arm, my leg, my butt, heck, I had to give myself shots in the abdomen twice a day, every day throughout my pregnancy. But my HEEL? A shot in my heel? There's no padding there! That sounds more painful than the stupid plantar fasciitis! No thank you."

After the doctor coaxed me out from under the examining table, he told me I could take roughly 25 Advil a day for two weeks and we'd see if that did the trick. [Don't take that medical advice. I was just kidding about the 25 pills a day. He actually said to take 4 pills 3 X a day.]

And the best part of all - I have to wear shoes. Shoes! I have to wear shoes! Do you hear me? Do you understand? I HATE shoes! Still, I'm not fond of foot pain, so I resolved to wear my shoes in the house. I walked in from my appointment and stopped myself mid-kick and slid my foot right back into my stupid shoe. I walked out to the kitchen to start dinner. Joe called me outside to show me the garage door and as I walked out the door, I looked down at my feet. Oh crap. My shoes were off. When did I take them off? Ugh. This is going to take some serious retraining.

112 comments:

I trained myself to wear shoes in the house and it is one of the best things I ever did. My feet look better, my legs don't get achy, and I seem to get a lot more done than when I am slopping around barefoot. The key is, you have to get shoes you really like and that are comfy, or you won't stick to it.

OK, so first of all, let me reassure you that you aren't the only one who sweats in a way guaranteed to cause maximum embarrassment. I have similar problems when I'm nervous, which means usually when someone is examining me closely, like a doctor, say.

Also? I'm sure that the doctor has seen worse. I broke my right foot about two years ago, so badly that I needed surgery and lots of follow-up... and a cast. At first I wasn't even allowed to shower, so I had that special kind of greasy feeling that comes from trying to bathe while sitting on the edge of the tub. In addition, you can't shave your leg when it's covered in a cast, and furthermore, all the dead skin that is usually covered under the "Shed It and Forget It" plan? Yeah, that all just sits there. On your leg and foot. I looked like a gorilla lizard with an extreme case of dandruff, and the most offensive part of my body was under close scrutiny by a team of doctors and residents.

Seriously, I've never felt such confidence and grace! You really should try it sometime.

Sucks about your heel. but at least it's not something drastic.And don't worry too much about the shoe thing. I'm terrible with remembering to keep shoes on my feet.I once flew all the way from toronto to london before I realised I'd kicked my shoes off before leaving for the airport. just last month we'd rented a car, and I returned it, with my shoes still under the driver's seat, and walked around Sydney for a day before I noticedLOL

I feel your pain. I went to a podiatrist on Monday and left with one foot taped up and the other sporting a lovely ankle brace. For the brace to work right, I have to wear shoes. And what am I not wearing? Shoes!

Kudos to you for refusing the shot of cortisol in your heel. Honestly, wearing shoes and taking some analgesics will help your plantar fasciitis heal naturally.

By the way, the man is a doctor. You are paying him lots of money to touch your feet. If he had issues with sweaty feet, he could have switched specialities a long time ago. Plus, I bet he's seen EVERYTHING foot-wise. I'm thinking that your feet are way on the low end of the gross-out scale...

Oh, and does the item at the end of your blog about Joe showing you the garage door mean that he's installed a sensor? Hopefully that will be a big load off your mind.

I know this may be a little bit out of your price range, but find some shoes by Merrell. Seriously, they last even longer than the spell of days that Brooklyn cannot stop crying. These suckers last, and when my mom bought her sandals about two or three years ago, the sales guy said that he had never seen a pair returned because of defects.

I recently got myself a pair of moccassin Merrells for work and I have honestly NO PAIN in my feet at the end of the day. And I have high arches too. They are super squishy and really nice.

OK, sorry for the blatant advertising for the blasted shoes but I am really serious in that they are the Energizer Bunny of shoes.

Otherwise, what you can do is just start to wear flip-flops or sandals in the house. You never know, it might work.

Ok, you know you can't say, "Joe called me outside to show me the garage door" without telling us what he was doing to that dreaded door! I bet if you get asked once, you'll get asked a least a dozen times about that! Glad that your foot had nothing seriously wrong with it.

Dawn, my mom has lots of problems with her feet, and since I am a mojor Croc fan, I convinced her to look into a pair. She had bought several now and loves them. Her plantar fasciitis doesn't bother her nearly as much when she wears Crocs. In my effort to help, I stumbled onto the CrocsRx website. I know you wear them, so go have a look! Also for anyone else that might have feet problems and doesn't mind semi-ugly shoes.

No orthotics?!? I also wouldn't take a cortisone shot. The pain is in both feet and I put it off so long the pain was everywhere. So when I asked exactly where he would shoot the cortisone my Dr kinda shrugged like he didn't have a clue. I can't take advil or any thing that isn't Tylenol which also irritated this Dr. I no longer see him. I do use orthotics in my shoes and they help tremendously. Also New Balance shoes are recommended by most podiatrists. I had a friend suggest Aldo shoes and they are wonderfully comfortable without the orthotics. Too bad I can't buy Aldo's in Alaska and they refuse to ship here. Next vaction I'll be looking for an Aldo store.Good luck, Celeste

I had both a heel spur and PF a few years ago. I suffered for weeks and weeks with it...UNTIL I began taking magnesium every day. I was getting plenty of calcium in my diet via yogurt, milk, cheese, etc., but after looking into it, I found out I was magnesium deficient (you're supposed to be getting a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium). When I began taking that and wearing good arch supporting shoes every waking moment, it completely cleared up. Even my flip-flops need to have arches in them, or I begin to feel twinges and aches again in my feet after a few days of wearing bad shoes.

This foot condition is no fun. My feet ache from the moment I touch the floor getting out of the bed in the morning as I make my way to the potty. Evens stretching them hurts. By the way, sandals in the summertime don't help the matter. I hate being barefoot (can't stand it when my feet pick up all the crud on the kitchen floor).

I'm almost positive I have the same thing, but the pain's really not all that bad, and I think I'd rather deal with the pain than have to buy good shoes and wear shoes in the house!

I think I would have taken the shot. The idea of having stuff done to my feet doesn't really bother me because feet are so far away! I also HATE that pain scale question. I have a high pain tolerance, too. My husband is an anesthesiologist, and he says he hears that from patients ALL the time, and usually it ends up not being true! But he believes me. And I believe you, Dawn!

I agree--if he couldn't handle sweaty feet, he wouldn't have gone to podiatry school. And it would be pretty hard for him to change specialties if he did decide he had an aversion to feet because podiatry schools are totally separate from medical schools. So you pretty much have just the foot option if you go to podiatry school! I've always thought that was so strange to separate feet from the rest of the body like that!

Hey Dawn, ouch about the foot, hope it gets better soon. Wanted to share a funny story about other parental type accidents that i hope will lighten your load. First time my daughter really hurt herself she fell off the bed headfirst onto a book, I watched as her neck and spine actually pushed down onto her head in slow motion - awful! Anyway, was talking to a friend about it who said "that's nothing, this is what happened to my kid on my watch" and so the stories went on. We now have a running joke about being the worst mother in the world and when i ring to tell her what happened a particular day she will respnod with "have you got your speech ready for the award ceremony?". So now i just pick up the phone and tell her i have an outfit layed out on the bed for the occasion and she knows i've managed to yet again accidently do something that's ended up terrible in my eyes for my kids.So, i hope no-one said anything hateful about the horrible accident and if they did {blows raspberries} clearly they've never been a real parent!Cheersann

Oh Lordy, I can feel your pain and lol at the paper sticking to your legs on another visit- I've had that happen to me too. Lovely feeling, isn't it??

BUT, I can top your shot in the heel pain. I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. I *hate* going to the dentist. Scraping, sharp metal pieces designed to poke you, and a shot or tow or three if you're so lucky in your gums. No padding there....no siree! I'm going to beg them for laughing gas or some other drug form that will make me loopy and oblivious to the fact that I'm being tortured. Gee, can you tell I'm looking forward to going? Pray for me.

Thanks for saving me a doctor visit because unlike you, I don't get to go alone. I have to take a 7yo and 20 month old - both boys. I'm pretty sure this is what I have in my one foot as well, but who knew it was as easy as wearing shoes all the time. Now to just actually do it. I already take the 4 ibuprofen at a time. That's a trick I learned from my doc when I had knee issues in high school.

When I was diaganosed with the same thing over the winter, I bought two pairs of crocs for while I was in the house. I bought a pair of the mammoths for the cold weather, and I bought a pair of special orthapedic crocs for the rest of the year. I couldn't belive how comfortable they were, and how much they helped with my foot pain. You can find both on the crocs website. And the best part is that they were not all that expensive.

Regarding our emails from the other night, at least you had used your PEDEGG and had smooth, sexy heels right? Who cares if your feet were a little cold and clammy, at least you didn't have the rough, cracked, dirty heels! ;)

You do realize that you have to let us know what Joe was doing to the gargage door as well....we are all waiting on pins and needles about that situation!

Hi Dawn, been reading for a long time but never commented. So here goes! Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one who will write in who has plantar fasciitis but I will offer my story. I didn't used to have it until I started serving. After what must equate to months on my feet straight, I developed it. It was horrible for me because I would be fine until after I sat down after work. It was the getting up that would make me almost fall the to floor. The pain was excruciating for me (I've never had kids, can you tell?). And if I stepped on something hard with my heel (like a stray hard object) on the floor, it would drop me to the floor. Alas, I couldn't stop serving (I was in school and the money was good) I just got heel things to put in my shoes and bore the pain. After awhile I think I became immune to the pain and stopped serving. I still think i have it but I just don't realize. Maybe i raised my pain threshold! Now that I've told you my life story in a post, I'll get back to waiting for posts by the computer...waiting...and waiting (lol j/k just wanted to see if I could scare you into thinking I was a psycho :p)

Dawn,My doctor gave me inserts for my shoes specifically for my heel, sent me to physical therapy where that doctor asked me if I wanted to treat the cause or the symptoms. I'm a symptom kind of girl because I want it to go away. Basically I went for 2 months once to twice a week and got deep tissue massages that left my legs very very very bruised BUT I got better. He did tell me that one of my problems contributing to my heels was "itty bitty feet (size 6) and extra weight (he was very kind in how he put that last part)" suggested that I also take some of that off by cycling (because I had to stay off my feet of course) or my pain would come back. I am from Mississippi so I detest shoes! It took a bit to convince me to wear them all the time. I have a pair of Crocs that I wear inside/around the house but if I'm going walking (mall or zoo or fair, etc) then I bought a great pair of shoes for those events. I recommend going to a sports specialty store (one of the small hometown one's that specialize in stuff for Triathletes or the like...my husbands one of those...whats WRONG with him!!) because they will really work to make sure the shoe fits your foot and is comfortable. They dont cost anymore than if you bought the same shoe out in town but you get the right shoe instead of just a shoe. Mine are pretty darn ugly with a big sole (Brooks Addiction Walkers) cost around $100 but my feet love them. I really recommend you have your doctor refer you to the physical therapist and tell them you want to treat the cause. It'll hurt but way less than a shot in the foot (google that...there are sites that tell you about the pain that will scare you to death!..good choice saying no!) and honestly...my guy was FUNNY so even though he was basically practicing his S&M tricks on my legs (feel free to censor that part) I wanted to go back (hmm..what does that say about me and S&M...never thought about that before....no worries other than that doc I'm not into it...I would have done anything short of that shot to make that pain go away though.) Wow! This got really long just to tell you that getting your doc to prescribe you heel cushions for your shoes and physcial therapy for your legs (yea, somehow that contributes because some tendon, ligament or whatever thats attached to your heel is also attached to your calve) but thats another option for you to look into if you feel your pain isnt getting better. Oh and of course breaking out a bicycle to help with any weight loss issues (I lost 30 and gained back 50 so if you start it dont stop it and yes with the weight my pain did come back...uggh!) Okay..I'm done now. I'll completely understand if you dont approve this LONG post! HAVE A NICE DAY!

i had to wear shoe inserts when I was like in Junior High for that, wasn't fun. I outgrew it though. HOpe the Advil doesn't mess with your stomach. I would have taken the shot... get it over with that much quicker.

Hi Dawn! I'd like to add my suggestion for footwear. My husband and I both have plantar fascitiis and what's really helped us is wearing Earth shoes. They are kind of pricey but you can find great deals online! Seriously, we hardly drive and we walk a lot and these shoes have saved our feet.

#1...wearing shoes will help. Even if you get up at night, put on sneakers or cushy slippers.

#2...talk with the doc about him making you orthotics. The store kind aren't nearly as good. I've had them in my sneakers for 13 years and my pain level isn't bad.

#3...never walk barefoot. Never. As time goes on, the pain will get worse and worse. I have a pair of really cushy slippers that I wear when I'm in the house and there's no pain. (Ok, there's very little pain!)

#4...A couple of other good brands are Born and J-41. Some of them I can actually wear without my orthotics.

#5...the shot will help...they put novocaine in it and you don't feel anything other than the pin-prick.

I was at the podiatrist on Monday...they said I have a dropped metatarsal in my foot which is hereditary. I have to get NEW orthotics made to help that AND the plantar fasciitis. And I had a shot in the TOP of my foot between the first and second toe. Talk about no padding...but it didn't hurt at all.

I'm a barefoot gal, too - hate wearing shoes if I don't have to. However, it has made such a difference with my plantars fasciitis. I picked up some Merrell flip flops and wear them around the house. Just make sure you are wearing shoes with good support - no more $2.99 flip flops from Target:-( I can't tell you how many cute shoes are in my closet that cannot be worn without paying for it the next day.

Oh man, I can totally and completely sympathize!! I have plantar fascitis too. Never did the injections either but they had first thought I had broken my heel so I was in a walking boot for 3 months, on crutches for about a week. Not a whole lot of fun!! Take an empty plastic pop bottle, put water in it, and freeze it. Roll your foot over it two/three times a day. That'll help. And as far as shoes go, buy some insoles for your tennis shoes. Powerstep is the best. They're expensive but so worth it!

Ok - so I was feeling really bad about coming across so stern about the garage door opener so I was going to send you an email but couldn't find a contact link so will just do it here - I'm sorry I yelled! I'm an electrical engineer and worked for several years doing life safety inspections at gov't facilities (and you thought they didn't care!) so I'm kinda overly safety-cautious. But I was just stunned to learn that there are still those killer garage door closers out there still in service and from your responses - yours is not the only one!!! According to the reports - from 3-1982 thru 11-1996 there were 62 deaths and 49 serious injuries - some of them permanent brain-type injuries from garage door closers. See links:http://www.cpsc.gov/volstd/garage/gdoupdate.pdf

http://www.ul.com/consumers/garagedoors.html

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/4/770

YIKES! So hopefully your garage door is fixed and every other motehr of young kids who reads this will fix theirs' too!!! My daughter will be really happy that we can spend Labor Day weekend drinking beer at German Fest in Lincoln Park(?) and not fixing your garage door!

If you're just going to buy the sensor pack add-on to your regular old door closer, it NEEEEEDS to be a non-contact optical sensor!!!!

Again - sorry I was so stern! As I tell everybody - I'm bossy! I'm the oldest sister to 5 brothers and the single mother of 3 - I'm bossy, deal with it. I got that line form my cousin & I love it.From Sparkle

I too recently developed plantar fasciitis. My biggest issue is having to wear shoes ALL the time - I hate shoes and spend my summer barefoot. Anyway, I did find that my Crocs working wonderfully - I wear them all the time after work and on weekends and can spend an entire day walking around a festival without getting sore at all. Good thing is that it sounds like it eventually goes away.

I am a runner and all too familiar with that pain. Did he give you some exercises to do? Stretching your foot and calf is very important. Stretch your food on stairs (toes and ball of foot on stair, hang heel off.) Do this for 30 seconds, 10 X. While sitting - spell out the letters of the alphabet with your toes. While sitting, roll a golf ball or can of food with you foot. Before you get out of bed - sit on edge of bed, cross leg over the other. Grab toes and ball of foot and pull them towards your shin - this is really a great one since you are so tight when you wake up. Once I finally got diciplined enough (after 6 months of pain - I was not stretching) to do these each day the pain went away.

And the shots - try getting shots in your head. I have alopecia aretata - losing my hair in a circular pattern. Cortisone actually tricks my follicles into growing again. I do not like pain - but we are talking my hair here.....

Beleive me sweetie, you are not the only one who sweats on those stupid tables. I complained at my OB's office one time because I said it was cruel and unusual punishment to expect pregnant women to sit in hot little boxes of rooms on paper and the nurse told me it was because the doctor was always cold. I had fun ribbing him about that for a long time. Good luck with the shoes! I don't know if I could keep them on all day long anymore.

I had this after my 2nd or 3rd child was born. I never wore shoes in the house, but I did get some somewhat decent LACE UP shoes to wear when I walked ANYWHERE. I lived in them. I thought I'd have to live like this for the rest of my life. It finally went away. I think it was about 2 years tho. The shoes helped. A LOT.Don't make excuses, just wear the shoes! LOL!

The pain got bad enough for me that I had the shot and was amazed how well it worked. I understand anyone's aversion to cortisone (or any other drug) if it can be avoided, but sometimes a little pharmaceutical help is wonderful.

Good shoes will be a blessing until you are over this. Birkies helped me. I wasn't aware of Merrells at the time, and my episode was before the Croc craze.

Hey Dawn, you need to wear tie-up shoes, not flip-flops. Not sure about crocs or Birkenstocks, but they are so easy to kick off, I'd go with tie shoes. Your feet will also get softer (wear socks, though) and it really is true that you get more done. My trouble is that since I have REALLY short legs, I like to curl up on the couch, chair, etc., and we have a "no shoes on the couch" rule that I have to adhere to as well, so I wind up with my running shoes under the coffee table!

I hear you about the no shoes thing. I'm not sure I could do that, either. And I'd say Crocs are the next best thing to barefoot. And you don't have to get the enclosed crocs, either. They have flip flop type crocs that are extremely comfy and a lot cooler than the clog kind.

And as we all said before you went to BlogHer, Danskos are heavenly on your feet. I used to have achy feet and legs when I'd get home from work after wearing regular pumps, but when I switched to Danskos I no longer have that problem! They're pricey -- about $120 a pair -- but anything's better than a cortisone shot in the foot. I'm with you on that one -- not no, but HELL no are you doing that!!! ::shudder::

I feel your pain, literally! I've struggled on and off for years with pf, and the only thing that keeps my pain manageable is that I rarely go barefoot. Swimming alot with the kids helps, too. And not skipping my work-outs. I've stopped buying the cheapest sneakers I can get by with and I use my birthday money every year to buy the best running shoes I can afford. I don't run - ever. But the light-weight, super supportive nature of running shoes helps. And you know what, some of them are darned cute!

been there! (with the plantar fasciitis that is). Ouch, it does hurt.My wonderful GP gave me THE BEST low-tech non-meds remedy ever. For real.

Frozen can of Juice concentrate. Plop it on the floor, take OFF the shoes and sock, if any. Roll your foot up& down on the can, the cold temp really soothes the pain, no swelling will occur because of the ice, and the rolling action will help stretch the foot, esp those muscles that cramp up due to the fasciitis. Unbelievably simple, but man does it work! Do this as often as you can, as long as the concentrate stays frozen.Good luck!

If you tie them to your feet its harder to take them off. You never know you might just enjoy the pain free always have something on your feet in the event you have to run out the door kind of feeling. Good luck. Mel.

oooh! Thanks for posting that! I am fairly certain I am having the same problem right now. I googled foot pain. LOL! Anyway, I am going to keep my shoes on and try the advil thing... not the 25 a day but the 4 3x a day... or was it 3 4x a day... I'll check. That would be awesome if I could take care of it without going to have the doctor feel up my sweaty feet. The podiatrist we have for our daughter is not cute. Think Lurch from the Adam's Family.

I understand your fear of the shots in your heals, but that was the ONLY thing that worked for me!! I got those shots over 4 years ago, and have been pain free since! It is just one shot in each heal :) You should reconsider when the pain gets unbearable.

I have had recurrent bouts of plantar fasciitis since my 20s. Part of the problem is I have almost no arch. The other part is that I, like you, eschew shoes whenever humanly possible.

I have done a million things including going for heat/ultrasound/TENS for it.

The best thing I did was have custom orthotics made and wear them whenever possible... but the BEST BEST thing was extracorporeal shockwave therapy. It's the same thing they use to dissolve kidney stones. You get this wand thing shooting up your foot with soundwaves - it's a little uncomfortable but not bad. It prompts a healing response in the area. I have not had it again in 2 years since I had several treatments.

I have also written quite a bit about foot health (journalist). No podiatrist will ever recommend Crocs. They are like walking on marshmallows. They provide no support. Same with flip flops, in fact wearing such poor footwear is often partly responsible for the condition.

I hate wearing shoes in the house, too. HATE. I don't anymore, but for awhile I did. This condition can be chronic so it's better to treat it proactively/aggressively the first time.

Kirkygirl, sandals or flip flops will NOT work, unless they have decent arch support. I've found Birkenstocks and Chaco sandals to be good for my p.f. issues.Dawn, did the foot doc give you any exercises to do? My p.t. friend says that sitting on the edge of the bed repeatedly picking up a sock or towel with your toes helps to strenghten the muscles and lessen the pain. (It also makes you a hit at parties. hee hee) Tina

I had the same problem last fall, went to the doctor (odd, my experience was much like yours except for the xrays. And the sweating. And the shot. Okay, not much at all like yours).

ANYWAY, mine said "buy a set of those gel heel inserts" (heel only). And "stretch it out at least twice a day."

So I did. The stretch is: Sit down. Hold your foot with one hand, and with the other, grasp the ball of your feet -NOT your toes!- and pull back gently but firmly toward your shin. Hold for ten seconds and repeat a couple of times.

It took a couple of days to see progress, a couple of weeks to be mostly pain-free, and a month for it to Go Away Completely. And that was with no drugs.

I always wear my flip flops everywhere. Even in winter, and I live in CO ;). I'm afraid to walk through my house with all these kids and not have something protecting the bottom of my feet, but I'm incredibly weird, too.

I have to agree with you on the shot though. I've had 5 kids and have had more blood draws and injections than you could shake a stick at. Steroids because of preterm contractions, weekly progesterone injections, oh yeah..and MORE FLIPPIN BLOOD DRAWS!*ahem* but I feel ya on not wanting a poke in the heel. I have to imagine that would hurt.

Next time, tell him to fill the syringe half with the cortizone and half with some morphine and that that will be an acceptable compromise for you. THEN! Make his cute self drive you home and cook the family dinner since you'll be all doped up.

Good luck Dawn! I had 3 cortisone shots in my heel over several months and after more than a year of pain i was finally better. i did get custom orthotics for my shoes from the podiatrist and i also tried the night brace (couldn't sleep with it though...). do whatever they say to do, it takes forever to heal and you don't want to mess it up! I can say that after about 2 years now i am thankfully barefoot again :) Leah

I think you made the right decision not to have the shot. I have wicked plantar fascitis, and a few years ago I had not one but two shots. I'm not a wimp about shots but these going through all that taut fascia and muscle and stuff in your foot were excruciating - and they didn't even help! I've gotten much better relief by doing 3 or 4 smaller things:

1. Wear shoes with good arch support, like Birkenstocks, all the time. Ugly (although there are some cute Birks these days) but effective. 2. Freeze a couple of soda bottles (the 20 oz. ones work well) full of water. After a long walk or when your feet hurt, roll those under your feet - basically icing your feet. Gives you a good excuse to sit down ("Mommy's treating her feet....")3. Wear a night splint that keeps your foot flexed at night. This alone almost completely eliminated the pain on those first few steps when you get out of bed. 4. And the last one that I haven't managed to do yet - lose weight. From your pics, doesn't look like that is as much of an issue for you as for me!

Okay, here's my advice (not that you asked): Do NOT take that much Advil daily. I have a bad knee (as well as the bone spur on the heel) and I took 4 Advil per day for a good 6 weeks ad my doctor's advice. Yes, it reduced the pain to a tolerable level. Meaning that when I stood up after sitting on the couch for an hour in the evening, I didn't make that sucking noise with my mouth ("tschoo-oogh"). I too have given birth to three children naturally (one being 10 lbs. - which actually doesn't feel all that different from an 8-pounder, believe it or not). ANYWAY - I took all that Advil, and I got an ulcer from it. Apparently, Advil is an enzyme inhibitor. It inhibits the pain receptor. But that enzyme is also responsible for stomach lining renewal. So take enough for a long enough period, and your stomach lining won't renew properly, resulting in an ulcer. Now let me tell ya - an ulcer is actually more painful than the bone spur.

As for wearing shoes - well, I had a hard time there, too. But I will say that my heel spur pain did dissapear without any special attention from me. It's happened before, and it'll happen again. It just goes through cycles of sorts. It's worse when you stand up because after resting, the muscle that under the spur tightens up and it kind of has to get stretched out and de-sensetized all over again. So maybe that night time stretching thing mentioned above will help.

I'm so there. I've had 4 rounds of cortizone shots. The podiatrists know how to give them so that they don't hurt. Seriously! 2 rounds of x-rays. 2 sets of standard orthotics and now have my custom orthotics. PLUS surgery on June 27th.

Good shoes will help, as will never going barefoot. As someone who hated shoes before all this, here's what I did to get myself in the habit.

I took an old pair of slip on tennies and put a set of new 'orthotics' from the pharmacy in them. These are now my slippers. I still kick my shoes off as soon as I get into the house, but I just slide right into my 'slippers' and it helps TREMENDOUSLY!

My Mother, Aunt, and Friend have that as well and they have started wearing Mephisto sandals.....much cooler than shoes. I also own a pair and they are the most comfortable things I have ever owned. They are expensive......I would say they are in the very expensive range but you could possibly find some on sale now that Fall is approaching. I have had mine for four years and they look new. Just a thought!

After reading your first post on your sore heel I just knew your symptoms matched mine, and went to the Dr today as well.

And yep, Planter Fasciitis. A tiny little bone spur and the beginning of a bunion. Oh what fun!

Luckily I didn't have to get the shot, just some exercises to do, a prescription anti-inflammatory (it's at the drugstore so don't recall the name...better then Advil supposedly), and little silicone inserts for my shoes.

That I hate to wear. :sigh:

In a few weeks if it's not better then he'll discuss the shot. Which I was glad for as like you I couldn't imagine getting one in the heel!!

Good luck and I hope yours heals quickly.

Oh, and I spent 30 mins tops at my appointment. Course I had one of my 5 kids with me, so that made it feel like it was well over an hour, so don't hate me too much. :grin:

( this comment is for an apple a day, not this post) lol! I hate it when people obsess about little things too! The other day, I was at the amusment park and they were about to start the ride,no one was in line. The exit door was open, (it was an outdoor ride)so we did not think we would make it if we ran in the empty line thing so I asked the ride runner if we could just come in thru the exit door, she gave us this smug look and said NO! so we ran thru the EMPTY line holder thingy and when we got to the ride she closed the entrance door when we were 5 feet away! we did not have time to wait for the next ride(we were about to leave) so I said please let us in, and she acted like I asked to jump off a cliff! then let us in. See?

I am not a fan of footwear either, but I was also having pain. I got Clarks sandals about 5 years ago and they are the best. I still have my originals, they have held up really well, and I was wearing them every day, although I have also gotten some new ones. They are plain looking but they are SO comfy you don't even feel like you're wearing shoes. I also have a pair of Born sandals that are extremely comfortable. They are a little pricey but seem to last forever, so I think they are worth it. I hope this helps.

A foot problem? Not fun, considering that's where you spend most of your time, especially with a brood of kids. :)

The sweat thing seems common enough, especially when people are nervous. I barely notice anymore, I have had sweaty clammy hands and feet since I was a baby.

Shoes are ick, but socks are even worse. We live in Northern Canada, where you need heavy snowmobiling winter boots (during winter) that are good to at least -60 Celcius, and I still refuse to wear socks. My mother-in-law thinks I'm nuts. :) But socks = more sweat because we overheat. Did you ever notice this? When you insulate your feet, your body goes: "Woah! up the temperature in here."

Good for you for refusing the needle. Who needs 'em? :) As for the 25 Advil a day (ya, I know, it was only 4, but it might as well have been 25 ;) ), is it really necessary? Inflammation can go down with ice, can't it? Might be something worthwhile to find out. :)

OK well I really don't have a comment about your heel I just hope that it gets better with the least amount of pain. However, I was playing around on ebay today and found this interesting item up for bid. I can not beleive that you can not post items and do whatever you want with the money that you make but you can get rid of items like these! Check out the link http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250280309940&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1123if that does not work let me know and I will send you the email with the link.Hope everything is going great and I will check back again tomorrow.

Ohhhhh, I had to get a shot in my toe once....it was the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. I think if I ever had to again, I would just go ahead and cut my toe off. At least that way I would go into shock and not feel the pain so much.

It is SO HARD to brainwash yourself into wearing shoes in the house. I have plantar faschdachsdfhiiiitis (whaat?) too and I would almost rather be in pain then have to wear my shoes in the house. I have this whole thing about NO shoes in the house, so it just goes against my values. Then I have an "inside" pair of shoes that are designated ONLY for the indoors, and then I accidentally wear them to get the mail and they are contaminated so I go barefoot again. I wish I could say it gets easier....

You really should have gotten the shot. It works wonders... does hurt though. Do wear shoes all the time and stretch. Freeze a 2 liter bottle of water and roll it under your foot several times a day (ok as often as the kids will let you) and get the shot next time.

I'm yet another person who used to have plantar fasciitis and heel spurs in both feet and I feel your pain. Fortunately I went to an orthopedic who takes the conservative approach. He told me to get some Walkfit orthodics. At the time, you had to get them on-line at www.walkfit.com but I've seen them at Target. Anyway, I wore them in my clogs and sandals for about 6 months and once in a while did stretching exercises and that's it! No more pain and that was 3 years ago!

Been there, done that. I got the expensive prescription inserts. They help a lot. But after two years, I found out I can go barefoot outside. I can go barefoot inside on a good day. If it hurts, I put on my shoes with my prescription inserts inside. If not, I go barefoot. Nobody offered me a shot for the pain, and I even went to a foot specialist (whatever they're called).

Someone else might have recommended this already but ... Get thee to a store and buy thee some Danskos!

I had such pain I couldn't walk and I slipped on a pair of Dansko clogs and it was like heaven!

I wore those and some good support sneakers for a few months and now I'm happy and barefoot again. And if I ever feel like it's flaring up again, I walk around in my Danskos again for a while and all is well!

Dawn,I had Plantar Fasciitis a year ago and after having physical therapy for 3 weeks 3 times a week I was cured. Save your money and just stretch your feet for 10 minutes a day twice a day. My husband made me this board with 2 wooden balls screwed in on the bottom that I bought at Michaels. That way the board rests on the floor at an angle so you can get a good stable stretch for your feet. You might also want to check and see if your arches have collapsed, in which case you would need arch supports. I have had those since the 5th grade. :) Hope all this helps. Love your blog!

Hi Dawn reading the part about your foot being cold and sweaty that dr was lucky u let him touch ur feet i have a phobia i dont let anyone touch my feet EVER... my poor husband has never touched my feet even with his own foot i freak out i wear socks all day everyday no matter waht even if i'm walking in the yard i have to have at least socks on... The day before my wedding my sister made me get a pedicure and i did it the whole time i was freaking out trying my best not to think about it. i dont know how anyone enjoys those things NEVER AGAIN for me. I know i'm retarded but just the thought of it makes me nauseated... I know i'm weird but hope ur foot gets better soon. sasha

Your doctor is giving you good advice. Take the Advil, wear shoes with good support, and when you wake up in the morning, grab your big toe and stretch your foot out for a bit before you walk on it. You don't need no stinking shot. I had plantar fasciitis so bad i could barely put weight on it, and this is exactly how I cured it. It hasn't been a problem for me for years. Good luck!

Ok, I could give you a lecture about why the cortisone shots cause breakdown of the tissue of the heel and you end up worse off later on in life, but instead, I think I will skip that pass on a VERY IMPORTANT TIP for ALL WOMEN who don't want paper sticking to their bare legs and butts... (and after you read this, it won't ever happen to you again, either!!! lol!)TAKE YOUR OWN TOWEL to the Ob/Gyn's office. Seriously! Those paper rolls don't cover the whole table, and when people get on and off those tables, they can slide (bare!) right across the uncovered part. So unless you are a size 0 gymnast who can vault onto the table without touching the sides, I'd take your own towel to lay on. The rather upscale ob/gyns in my practice actually recommend that! lol! :) and the best part (besides not picking up diseases that you'd have a hard time explaining to your husband!) is there's no more sweaty paper issues! :)Ok, that's my free tip for the day. :D Praying for *wellness* for your feet!Lisa-Anne

Hi! Hope you're feeling better. Anywho..I have a quick question for you..Are you guys still doing that one diet that has no preservatives? If so, MSNBC did a story about healthy snacks for kids when they go back to school. I thought you might want to take a look at it and maybe post it Sunday for others to use..here it is..

Hiya! Kudos on refusing the shot--there are plenty of all natural ways to help with the pain and resolve the problem. Lots of the comments mention ice, special shoes and not walking barefoot--here's another one: stretching! it sounds simple but if you sit up in bed before hopping up and grab your toes, stretching the back of your calf, it will help resolve the morning pains. Hang your heels off of a step at every opportunity during the day will help too!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this. I have been having this same pain for over a year now in my left foot. It's so bad now that I've considered seeing a doctor for it, but now that I read your post and the comments, I'll stick to some of the suggestions here for awhile. I've been taking aleve but not regularly, only when it's really bad. Now I'm having pain clear up to my left knee sometimes. I will try shoes with a good support arch and maybe check for that brace one of the readers suggested.

Dawn,I had to have 2 shots into my right foot every 2 weeks, all last summer. One was at the base of my large toe, for inflammation of the bone in the muscle tendon, there, and one for a neuroma in the same foot. I won't kid you, the shots were not comfy, but, they helped tremendously. I had one delivery without an epidural (I was drugged for the other 2), and my foot was so bad, that I thought my bone was fractured, and so did my podiatrist, so, he was shocked when the bone scan was negative...but, I digress, the pain in my foot was a 10/10- I couldn't walk, and it was excruciating (and embarrassing, since I am a Physical Therapist, and my patients were walking better than me). The shots, did hurt, but, the relief I got from them was wonderful. So, if the Advil doesn't do it, don't be scared- the foot doctor knows how tender that part of the body is, and do the shot, it will make things much much better!

I can understand being embarrassed, but after having an abscess in a uh, sensitive area. Now that I have Crohn's I pretty much don't care what a doctor sees. My friends actually get big laughs from my story, it's here:sweb.uky.edu/~pglenn/abscess

you CAN rebuild your arches and get rid of plantar fasciitis. I SWEAR, really, you can. It's an exercise program called T-Tapp. There's a book out by Teresa Tapp (exercises are named after her; it's not tap dancing) or you can see about the dvds at ttapp.com. the basic 15-min workout plus would be great. I started 5 years ago and have never stopped.

Clarks flip flops have arch support for about $35 and are FABULOUS. I've been wearing mine all summer. I don't like shoes either but I love these.

Someone mentioned magnesium. It's true...it'll help too. You actually need a 3:1 ratio (more mag than calcium). They have known this in Europe for YEARS but it just came to US a few years ago. Country Life Nerve and Osteo is a brand with this ratio. Also, soaking in magnesium oil is FABULOUS! You wanna feel calm? It calms your nerves so well that it will feel surreal the first few times. Check out http://www.health-and-wisdom.com/magnesium.htm for the best priced source. I soak my feet in a rubbermaid container and change the oil once a month before it loses effectiveness. And, you can do this while sitting at the computer, PERFECT!

I would take the shot. I have an ulcer and can't take NSAIDs, so the shots were a lifesaver for me. I have a bunion on my right foot that I am putting off having fixed because I don't want to lose my driving privileges for six weeks. I also was having pain in the ball of my left foot due to some crazy tendon thing going on in my second toe. The shots really helped, and they don't hurt much at all. My doctor was trying to talk me into Crocs too- do you think it's because he sells them? But I told him I won't wear anything that makes my feet sweaty. I have several pair of Earth shoes that I got on Ebay. They are good for my feet, as well as my lower back. I do miss going barefoot, but if that means foot pain, forget it.

Best of luck to you. I had plantar fasciitis several years ago, and it was pretty painful.

My husband, who is a big tough guy, like 6'2" 280 pounds, not afraid of much, got the shot for his Plantar's. He cried. He really really cried. Be glad you didnt do it. His eventually subsided and it doesn't really bother him anymore. There is hope!

OK You have heard it all, Just my 2 cents. Same problem both feet. I wear my Orthotics with New Balance sneakers at work (As a nurse) All of the rest of the time I wear Birkenstocks. Still go barefoot in the house. I take the shots when I need them. Only once in the past 5 years. That was my fault, I tried to wear cheap Croc style shoes at work. I really HATE shoes. Get things under control with the Advil and stretching and you should keep the needle away.

I have no doubt that you will be inundated with PF advice, but I will add mine anyway. :-) (I had a bout with four years ago. Not fun.)

What made a huge difference for me was doing good job of stretching and massaging my foot each morning, BEFORE getting out of bed. You can find lots of stretch suggestions on-line. It also helped to stretch before going to bed. I tend to keep my toes pointed when I sleep, which makes it really easy for everything in the bottom of the foot to tighten up during the night. If the stretches hadn't done the trick, I would have gotten some sort of ankle brace that forces you to keep your at a 90 degree angle and slept with it on. (Such things are also discussed on-line with PF advice.)

They can put something on it so you don't feel the shot. I just got back from the podiatrist. I went in a month ago for the mother of all ingrown toenails and I wouldn't let him do much either, now I'm back a month later with the same problem. This time they froze it and really took care of it. I didn't feel a thing. Just something to consider if it keeps bugging you.

I can't read all 900 comments, so if you've heard this before, disregard. It own't hurt my feelings.

I went through this pain for 18 months. Tried EVERYTHING: Cortisone shot is an almost immediate, but temporary, pain relief. Took LOTS of ibuprofen. Physical Therapy. Night splints. Custom orthotics from the podiatrist. Ice and more ice. I tell you this not to scare you but to encourage you to go after this aggressively in the early stage - that's the best chance of getting it to clear up. The more you can stay off it (yeah, good luck with that, I know) and ice it, it will feel better.

I ended up having surgery to release the plantar fascia and let it heal at a longer length. Worked great.

I still cannot go barefoot for more than 15 minutes. I LIVE in Birkenstocks. They even have cute plasticky-EVA type thongs that can get wet which I wear around the house.

Dawn, I've been reading your blog since the famous Ebay posting last year and loving it! And here I am, commenting for the first time ever. You might want to get your doc to check your thyroid. A lot of the physical problems you've mentioned can be caused by hypothyroid--including this newest, plantar fascitis! You also might want to check out http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com and http://www.realthyroidhelp.com

Hey Dawn, Everyone in my family has this same foot problem, my grandpa got the shot and never had problems, my aunt got the shot and wears special shoes. My mom got shots 2 times and then wears special orthotic inserts and only certain brands of shoes. So when I started with the symptoms, I skipped the doctor, did some of the exercises in the morning that helps stretch the muscles in your heal and started wearing shoes with good arch support. Don't ever wear super flat shoes. I love to be bare footed too so I didn't like it either. I started wearing crocs and that helped a lot. I like the croc flip flops and now that I have got the inflamation to go down, I can now go barefoot in my house again!!! I just don't wear super flat shoes ever. I figure out that when I wear shoes with no arch that it excaserbates my foot. problem. So don't go shopping, walking in those cute little flats we liked to wear in the 80's. Sorry, I loved them too but now I put my foot in them and say why did I love these? Hope your feet are better soon. Try pointing your toes and stretching out the muscles in your calfs before you try to walk in the morning for a while.

My shoes are really ugly, but comfortable. I bought a pair of SAS freestyle- a walking shoe- to the replace the pair from 2 1/2 yrs ago that finally wore out. I wear them everyday and my feet feel great. I still wear the old ones to work in the garden or yard- the sole is starting to peel off.

How comes all you Americans are suffering from feet aches? I do not know a single person with plantar fascitis. Maybe I am too young. Maybe my friends are. Maybe they do not tell. Maybe there is simply no German Word for this, therefore no such pain :)

I see that you have a gazillion comments and probably have been told this!

I had PF....I got fit for orthotics and wear them in my tennis shoes. But before this I did get the shots! I don't mind shots, but I was also worried aboud the needle going into my heal. My DR had the nurse come in with a spray that was VERY cold and spray while he injected. I really didn't feel anything other than a little sting that wasn't bad at all. When it wore off a few weeks later, I went and got another! So believe me it wasn't bad! I also wear Croc's. Right now I live in Croc flip flops. If I have to wear other shoes, I change into these as soon as I can. I was always a bare footer year round inside the house. Not anymore! As soon as I get out of bed these Crocs go on my feet! I do't want that pain again! I could barely walk! And then from favoring my other foot, I got knee pain! And now have knee issues!

A quick second to other advice out there, from my time working in a family practice -

1. Avoid the shots if you can - they usually help a ton, but are temporary, don't fix the problem, and can be damaging if you get them regularly.2. Get a night splint - it keeps your feet flexed (pointing up if you're on your back) and takes a lot of the strain off the fascia at night.3. Get some gel heel pads in your shoes to soften the impact on where the fascia attaches to the heel.4. Ice it down with frozen water bottles any time you've got pain or been on your feet a ton.5. Stretch your foot at least once a day - Next time you're on the phone find a stair or telephone book to put the ball of your foot on, let your heel drop down and stretch while you're talking.

You've got kids to play with and chase after - you don't have time for chronic pain. I hope some of this works for you!

I wouldn't take the shot either. I had cortisone shots in my shoulders and it was very painfull.I use a pop bottle and roll my arch and heel on it-hurts but it works. I also go to the steps and put my toes on the step and lower my heel up and down. I work on cement floors and wear "nothinz" because they form to my foot. They are along the same line as crocs, but they have more grip on the bottom so I don't slip if there is water on the floor. I am back to wearing braces so if anyone tells you that you are cured-bs-it comes back. Good luck.Neurotin medication helps take care of hot flashes. I ran out and feel like I'm a furnace. I started using it because of my migranes and looked it up and it is also helpful for hot flashes.